Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Originally Posted by nosurprises12

I disagree. While it's true that numbered lists are rather arbitrary and don't really mean much in the scheme of things, I always discover three of four albums I missed during the year by looking them over. If there is a lot of overlap between what I enjoyed and what is on a given list, I'll do a bit of research on some of the albums I haven't heard of; it's lead to a lot of great discoveries.

My main gripe is it's not even December. I already love the.new Scott Walker and the Colin Stetson/Mats Gustaffson albums, for example

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Originally Posted by TallGuyCM

After seeing it on so many of those KCRW top ten lists, I just listened to the Father John Misty album all the way through for the first time. I don't think I've heard a more relentlessly mediocre album all year.

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

I have to answer this for my buddy who is starting to compile his 2012 review radio show. To be honest not finding it easy at this stage.

Darren Hayman And The Long Parliament -'The Violence' has been a recent favorite. Leonard Cohen's 'Old Ideas' has been consistently played and Graham Coxon's 'A+E'. Nothing has really stood out and grabbed me this year.

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

So whats your list, if you feel the need to say all of the major music sites, blogs etc are going to release ''predicatable'' lists?

Originally Posted by TallGuyCM

Anyone who has Scott Walker on a list already, unless they ditched their family this past weekend and did nothing but listen to the album, is a premature twat. It's going to take until at least mid-December for Bish Bosch to full reveal itself. For me anyway.

And the good folks over at KCRW continue to prove they have the most boring taste in music imaginable. I mean, that Poolside album is nice and sunny and fun and all, but top 10? Come on.

If it was kroq instead of kcrw, it would probably be the same, except instead of Poolside, it would be Mumford and Sons.

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Originally Posted by TallGuyCM

After seeing it on so many of those KCRW top ten lists, I just listened to the Father John Misty album all the way through for the first time. I don't think I've heard a more relentlessly mediocre album all year.

It's an album that makes a bigger impact after repeat listens. I felt it was mediocre at first too. After seeing the band perform live, it all sorta clicked for me. I love the lyrics. And they (J. Tillman especially) are very entertaining live.

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Originally Posted by tigermilkboy

I have to answer this for my buddy who is starting to compile his 2012 review radio show. To be honest not finding it easy at this stage.

Darren Hayman And The Long Parliament -'The Violence' has been a recent favorite. Leonard Cohen's 'Old Ideas' has been consistently played and Graham Coxon's 'A+E'. Nothing has really stood out and grabbed me this year.

That's because its been a very unspectacular year from an album perspective. Not a bad year overall lots of fun tracks from a wide variety of artists but next to no great albums. So I expect wider than usual variation on this years list as they all decide which of these years mediocre titles they must choose from to fill their best of slots...add to that the fact that two of the years genuinely best albums...Swans The Seer and Death Grips The Money Store...are so out there that a lot of these publications actually risk losing readership by promoting them...its going to be a confusing year in the best of department compared to the last three where Animal Collective Kanye and PJ Harvey were runaway choices.

For my money The Seer stands head and shoulders over everything else this year but also really enjoyed Liars latest, Allo Darlings Europe, The Money Store, Shields, Redd Kross Researching the Blues, Menomena, First Aid Kit, Dr. John, El-p, Anais 's Mitchell's Young Man In America, Japandroids, The Men, Django Django, Cat Power, GY!BE, and guilty pleasure time Gotyes Making Mirrors, which was way more eclectic than I Anticipated.

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Originally Posted by TomAz

Can one of you geniuses explain to me why the Ty Segall Band album isn't on any of these lists?

Most of these early lists are from the UK, and there's been a huge role reversal between UK and rest of music world. Where English artists used to be constantly going for the cutting edge...England now trends towards classic rock and Brit pop preservation, so their rags tend to favor those types of artist over Hip Hop, Electronic, and American lo- fi punk/garage rock.

Case in point - Mojo last year had Florence And The Machines Ceremonials at #1 in 2011

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Yeah, definitely 2011. And I *suppose* if we lived in a non-internet world, Gotye's album could be considered 2012 since it didn't get a US release until this year, but most everyone who has heard that album heard it last year.

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

That Pitchfork review is rough. It's almost like if alt-j were a person, she would've ripped into its body to show how the bones are poorly arranged and how the blood is of bad color. I wouldn't call them such a messy 4.8 as this reviewer did, but I probably would call them a lesser Wild Beasts. Hmm... I'm not repelled by it.

Originally Posted by canexplain

I try to be politically pc more than most here: As a dude, anyone who could put a shark up a gals pc body, is pretty creepy, different and interesting. Just saying big time ..... cr****

1. Regina Spektor - What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (key track "Oh Marcello") -
The Spektor is back. This record made me so so happy, Regina's sounding more like Regina to me.
2. Ben Folds Five - The Sound of the Life of the Mind (key tracks "Erase me", "Draw A Crowd")
Ben Folds spills his heart out, random pieces falling on the piano at 183787 miles per hour. He's deep here. Plus he's funny as FUCK.
3. Fiona Apple- "Every Single Night" -
WEIRDEST EAR-WORM OF THE YEAR, this song.
4. David Byrne's book "How Music Works"
David tells you how it is. This is a smart, smart man. Listen.
5. "Call Me Maybe"
I can't help it. The first time I heard it, I went back and listened to it 12 more times the same day. Crack song.
6. The Extra Action Marching Band
I love these guys and ran into them by accident in Berlin, 5 hours later they were gigging in my gallery's parking lot. Gotta love it. Pretty naked too, which is awesome.
7. Richard Thompson in Edinburgh: key songs "Beeswing", "52 Vincent Black Lightening"
I'd never seen him live, and within a few songs, I became a devotee. After seeing them live, I played these two songs over and over and over again all summer. They calmed me. And both make me cry if I'm even remotely on the edge.
8. Heather Christian and the Carbonauts
Best new act out of NYC - caught in Boston.
9. Jherek Bischoff - Composed
I'm biased because he's also my bass player, but this album is just a fucking winner all around...Jherek is the new voice of arrangement and orchestra. Singers & guests on the album include David Byrne, Mirah Zeitlyn, Caetano Veloso, SoKo, Nels Cline and Greg Saunier.
10. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
Bought it for a road trip along with 4-5 other new CDs that came out early in the year. Hated everything else. Loved this. Classic Leonard, back to basics - talking the pained perfect poems in that perfect voice. It's a truth record.

Re: Top Albums of 2012 (picked by labels, artists, & blogs)

Originally Posted by icedKeg

It's an album that makes a bigger impact after repeat listens. I felt it was mediocre at first too. After seeing the band perform live, it all sorta clicked for me. I love the lyrics. And they (J. Tillman especially) are very entertaining live.

My thoughts exactly. The album did nothing for me until I saw them live, by chance, at the capitol hill block party in Seattle. I've seen them 2 more times since then and have learned to love the album. The live show is so much fun and really brings the songs to life.